


Lavernius Tucker, Meet Agent Washington

by whoviangoesthere



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, RvB Angst War, Uncertain length of said amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 21:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14004723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoviangoesthere/pseuds/whoviangoesthere
Summary: Thalia-amongst-the-thorns over at Tumblr prompted me with: “Post Season 15, Tucker visits a recovering Wash only to discover he has amnesia that’s reverted him to his Freelancer days”So of course, as she knows my every weakness, I had to write this one.  Damn you.





	Lavernius Tucker, Meet Agent Washington

              It took too long for everyone to get back to Chorus after _everything_.

              First there were reunions, then there were debriefings, then there were goodbyes, then _more debriefings_.

              By the time the Pelicans landed on Chorus, it had been two agonizingly slow days since Wash was shot.  Two days that had left plenty of time for Tucker to think of every last possibility of things going wrong.

              So when Dr. Grey stopped him outside the hospital room, he panicked.

              “Hold it right there, mister,” she said, her perky voice masking a whole heap of emotions.  “Agent Washington is still recovering.  Where do you think you’re going?”

              “To see him?!” Tucker snapped.  He tried to push his way past but Grey grabbed his arm and wrapped him in a shoulder lock faster than he’d ever seen her move.

              “Captain Tucker,” she growled.  “I believe I made it clear that there is no going to visit - ”

              “What happened?  Something happened, and you’re not fucking telling me and _owwww_ …”

              “What happens with my patients is strictly between me and - ”

              “Let him go, Dr. Grey.”

              Tucker looked up and sighed slightly in relief at the sight of Kimball exiting the hospital room.  Her helmet was off, and her curly hair was a mess.  She looked sad.

              “Agent Washington might…need him.”

              Grey grumbled a few choice words under her breath, but let Tucker go.

              “Where’s Carolina?” Kimball asked as Tucker moved forward.  “She…she’s going to want to see this too.”

              “She was doing leaderly duties and stuff.”  Tucker was already at the door.  “She said she’d be right behind me.”

              Kimball sighed.  She gestured vaguely at the door.

              “Tucker I don’t…I know how you feel about him.  I don’t want you to think that - ”

              Tucker ignored her and pushed open the door.

              Wash was sitting up in bed, armor stripped and stacked neatly to the side.  Immediately, Tucker checked for restraints, for the IV drip loaded with tranquilizers, but instead he noted a warm blanket, a colorful hospital gown, and Wash’s blonde freckled head looking around expectantly with wide eyes.

              “Wash?” Tucker called.  Behind him, Grey silently entered the room, taking a small position in the corner.  “You okay, buddy?”

              As he got closer, Tucker could see the heavy scarring and bandages around Wash’s neck, the only signifier that something was wrong.  Wash finally locked eyes with Tucker, yet he looked at him like a stranger.

              “Oh, hello,” Wash said, and his voice, though ragged and strained from his wound, sounded _cheery._   Younger, even.

              “Are you going to tell me where Maine is?  That lady that was just in here wasn’t very helpful.”

              Tucker took a step back.  Grey put a hand on his shoulder.

              “Wash…” Tucker attempted.  “It’s _me_.”

              Wash narrowed his eyes.

              “Wait, you’re not Agent Indiana, are you?  I would really freaking hate it if I completely forgot what you looked like.”

              Tears began to dot Tucker’s eyes and he hurriedly wiped them away before Grey could see.  He turned to her, gaping.

              “What’s…what’s _wrong_ with him?” he hissed.

              “Amnesia,” Grey said shortly.  “He had it when he woke up.  I think it’s a side-effect of the injury, plus his extended exposure to armor lock.”

              “Maine…”

              “Carolina told me he was hallucinating about Agent Maine during the stress?”

              Tucker turned back to Wash, who was starting to look worried.

              “Did something happen to him?” Wash asked, his voice tight.  “No one will give me a straight answer.  Where’s York, York usually talks to me like I’m actually a grown-up.  Can I _please_ see my friends?”

              Tucker walked forwards, taking a seat by Wash’s bed.  He automatically reached for his hand, but Wash drew it back, eyeing Tucker with suspicion.

              “Who are you?  Who is _that_?” he asked, pointing to Grey.  “Look, I’ve never seen you on the _MOI_ before, and we’re _obviously_ not in space anymore.  What happened to me?”

              “You got shot.”  Tucker was glad there was something he could be truthful about.  “Through the neck.  Dr. Grey helped you recover.”

              Wash paused at that, fingering the bandages at his throat.

              “And everyone else?” he asked.  “They didn’t get hurt too, did they?”

              Tucker opened his mouth to say – _what_ , exactly, he didn’t know, but he was thankfully interrupted by Carolina shoving her way past Grey.

              “ – Kimball said that I could _help_ , you - ”

              She stopped as she saw Wash, who immediately perked up upon seeing the turquoise armor.  She had yet to remove her helmet.

              “Carolina!  Oh thank god, I thought - ”

              “Wash,” Carolina said slowly, taking a step forward.  “You okay?”

              “Well, I _did_ get shot, so I think I’m still as slow as ever, but I feel fine.  Why’s everyone being so vague around here?  Where is everyone else?”

              Tucker mouthed nonsense at Carolina but she took another seat by the bed, ignoring Tucker.

              “Wash, um…they’re…they’re on another mission.  The assholes who shot you?  They’re going after them.”

              “Well, why aren’t you with them?  You’re the best one on the team!”

              Tucker could see Carolina wince at that, even through her helmet.

              “I, um…I got hurt too.  Recovered faster than you, idiot, but I can’t…I stuck around to help you.”

              Wash smiled.

              “Thanks, boss.”

              “You’re welcome, rookie.”

              Grey inched forward behind them.

              “Agent Washington needs some rest.  We can talk outside.”

              The two got up to leave, Tucker’s hand lingering where Wash’s had been.

              “Don’t take too long!” Wash called after them.  “I get bored in hospitals!”

              Grey shut the door behind them and gently turned to face them both.

              “Thank you, Agent Carolina, for - ”

              “How long?”

              Both Tucker and Carolina had asked it at once.  Grey seemed taken aback.

              “I’m sorry?”

              “How long will it last?” Tucker clarified.

              Grey hesitated for too long, and Tucker’s heart sank.

              “Well, it’s…it’s actually hard to _say_ …”

              Carolina reached up and removed her helmet.  Tucker didn’t know what she had looked like back in her Freelancer days, but now she looked tired, scared, and _older_.

              “Listen to me, Dr. Grey,” she said.  Her voice had gone deadly serious.  “Wash is smart.  He knows when he’s being lied to.  That little story I made up in there will last approximately twenty-four hours before he starts questioning why there aren’t any updates.  I need a little better than ‘hard to say’.”

              Grey gulped.

              “He was under a lot of stress before he was shot.  That kind of exposure in such a traumatic environment, combined with the shock of the bullet – it leaves things very undetermined.  It could go away in a matter of days.”

              “Or?” Tucker didn’t want to hear the answer.

              “Or it’s permanent.”

              Carolina bit her lip and ducked her head.  Tucker could tell she was trying to hide her tears.  Grey took her by the arm and led her down the hall.

              “We still need to discuss _your_ recover from armor lock, Agent Carolina.  Let’s step into my office…”

              Tucker watched them go and was struck by how silent the hospital corridor was without them.  He looked through the window and saw Wash, drumming his fingers against the side of the bed.  Tucker shook his head and let himself back in.

              Wash looked up and smiled at him.  It wasn’t _Wash’s_ smile – his smile was filled with laughter that hadn’t been felt in months, with a bit of anger at the joke, and the immense relief of hilarity after years of hurt.  This smile was simply that – a smile, with no emotion beyond politeness, with no history, no feeling.

              “Hey, Wash.”  Tucker took his seat again at his side.

              “I never caught your name,” Wash said, and Tucker felt something in the core of his chest break at the words.

              “It’s, um…it’s Tucker.”

              “Hi, Tucker.”  There was so much unfamiliarity, so much left unremembered.

              “Listen, man, um, I hate to leave you just completely by yourself, so, do you, uh, want anything?  Like a comic book or - ”

              “Can you tell me about this planet?” Wash asked.  “I know I’m not on the _MOI_ , but beyond that, I’m lost.  Everyone here seems really nice.  It’s kind of a first for me.  Freelancer has been mostly people shooting at me and stuff so…”

              “Yeah, yeah.”

              Tucker glanced back out to he hallway.  He noticed now a few people hurrying back and forth.  Some he recognized.  Others he didn’t.  It was a big planet.

              “Well, um…” He thought for a moment.  “The planet’s called Chorus.  And it, um, it recently recovered from a brutal civil war.  Like, horrible, stupid people fighting over stupid things.”

              Wash pushed himself up and settled in.

              “What were they fighting over?”

              “Well, there was this absolute _asshole_ named Felix, right?”

**Author's Note:**

> Always taking prompts over at all-made-of-stardust on Tumblr!!


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